Marley, Prince and Me
by Miss.Ceri
Summary: A fic set after series 7, Rose Kelly's POV


Prince, Marley and Me

Most people know my story, about how I moved to Rochdale with my family 'The Kellys'.

Well that's what people branded us as, but that was our name.

We didn't have a good beginning, they thought of us as trouble, and to be fair, they were right.

I had had a troubled background.

I grew up in Ireland, we lived in a pretty rough area, lots of trouble and as you grow up you get involved in that trouble.

My parents didn't really seem to mind, there was nothing they could do to stop me and they knew there was nowhere else for me to go apart from out on the streets with my mates.

At the age of 14 we were all smoking, drinking, sleeping around.

But everyone was doing it, it was normal, well for us.

At the age of 16 we moved to Manchester, dad got a new job.

I became even more rebellious, not going to school, drinking more, hanging out with more trouble.

You change your country but nothing changes, habits stay the same.

And my parents weren't too concerned.

The sleeping around continued too.

I was pregnant at the age of 17, it was only a one night stand.

I had a little boy, Marley.

But nothing changed, I moved out, got a home for the two of us.

That didn't stop me drinking.

I became pregnant again at the age of 18.

In fact it could have been on my 18th birthday…or around that time.

I had another little boy, Earl.

I turned to alcohol to help me cope.

Two baby boys, how else was I supposed to do it?

I moved down to London, supposedly for a new start, plus the housing was cheaper there.

I met someone, Reynold Kelly.

He was so good with Earl and Marley. But Earl seemed to take more of a likeness to him.

I got pregnant again, it was a little girl.

I named her Sambuca, yeah it was after the alcoholic drink, it was my favourite at the time and it was what helped me.

Reynold and I got married, but after a year we separated.

I moved back to Manchester.

Back in Manchester, the alcohol was still helping me to cope.

Within a year of having Sam, that's what I shortened Sambuca to, it was too long to say after a few.

I got pregnant again.

I had another little boy, Denzil.

By the age of 21 I had four kids.

This hadn't been planned.

I loved them all, but having them around wasn't going to stop me living my life.

14 years later, the kids had all started school.

Marley was in year 9, Earl was in year 8, Sam was in year 7 and my baby boy Denzil was in year 6.

Marley had been doing well…from what I remember.

Earl was constantly causing trouble, going mental on teachers, causing them to throw him out.

They would call me in, but being the alcoholic I was I would turn up completely off it.

People would make comments to Earl, causing him to cause more trouble, and Sam and Marley would start stepping in.

Eventually we would have to move and move schools.

Oh and I had become pregnant again. I had another little boy, Prince.

3 years later, I was now at the age of 34 and still happily drinking and depending on it to get me through a day.

I never got jobs, always claiming benefits. Or if I did get a job I would get chucked out within week because I would get caught drinking or causing fights between other workers, all down to the drink, so there was no point.

Marley had been looking after me and his brothers and sister.

He was always such a good boy.

He had done that instead of studying for his GCSE's, at the time I hadn't even noticed, but looking back on it, I realise how hard it must have been for him.

He was now going on to do Alevels.

I had enrolled them all into a new school; it could have been a fresh start.

But it ended up like all the other fresh starts.

Towards the end of term, Earl had gone mental; he had thrown a chair at a member of staff.

I, as usual, hadn't been much help when they had called me in and it had started up a whole lot of trouble, from Sam and Denzil as well.

So they chucked them all out.

And if you don't taken your kids to school, the social come after you, threaten to put you away and your kids into care.

So we left.

This is when we turned up at waterloo Road.

The start hadn't been easy.

Eddie Lawson, the deputy head at the time, didn't seem too keen about the head letting us in.

I left them all there, saying I would pick them up at 3:30, I went to get drunk.

On the first day, my baby boy, Denzil, had been caught with a gun.

It broke my heart, they had arrested him, and he was so upset.

Sam was upset too, she was close to Denz, she hated seeing him in trouble.

Me, being drunk had blamed Marley, but now I know I wasn't his fault.

I had expected Miss Mason to chuck us out…again.

But she didn't, she said that she would support us, and that is what she did.

Thanks to Miss Mason, I managed to get on my feet.

She had talked me into doing the Adult Literacy Classes.

People say how she was a prostitute, she shouldn't be running a school, but I think that's what made me listen to her, that and the downright honesty when she told me I was a drunk.

If she had turned her life around, I could. And she helped me, by employing me in the canteen with Candice.

Candice and I hadn't gotten on at first, I didn't like being bossed around, and she didn't like me. But we soon became good friends; she helped me as much as Miss Mason. Both supported me, helped me improve my life, which made me realise what a bad parent I had been.

Life was getting better.

Well until, the kids were taken off me.

Someone rang the social.

They were all spilt up, put into foster homes and Marley into a Hostel.

That was the wakeup call I needed.

Before, yes I had improved my life but I had still been drinking, we held parties and I was quiet happy to annoy the neighbours, especially Tom Clarkson.

So I worked hard, helped Candice set up the franchise, got rid of the alcohol.

The kids could come home.

Then more bad news.

Earl had murdered Maxine Barlow.

He had shot her.

I had never cried so much whilst being sober.

I had had Maxine around a few times, she had been such a lovely girl, friendly and she had been good for Earl.

He had always been trouble, why hadn't I seen this coming?

So now I had two of my boys inside, both having somehow got hold of a gun.

Rachel had again been so supportive.

She had promised that after a week of the school being closed my Marley and Sam could go back.

I thought I was going to have to move them again, but they had gotten on well at Waterloo Road.

But she did as she promised and let them back and because of her we found out that Denzil only had the gun because Earl had told him to look after it.

I couldn't believe it.

I knew Earl was trouble, but THAT. That had to be the worst.

But my baby Denz could come home.

From that moment things got better.

We had a new house, the kids were doing well at school, my job was going fine.

Yes we had a few problems, especially with one Ralph Mellor, but we sorted it.

With the help of Rachel again, she really was one of the best heads I had come across.

I was also having English Lessons with Tom Clarkson, and he was taking me to AA meetings.

Truth was I had fallen from him, and after Davina had left him and he made the first move, we got together.

This wasn't like any of the other "Romances" I'd ever had.

So after a bad start things had gotten better.

My life was finally on Track!

Marley had moved down to London to go to university.

Him and Flick had gone together and are still going strong.

He is and always will be my number one boy.

Earl is still in prison, and as his mother I hope that is where he stays.

I love him but things had calmed down since he's left.

And of course I go visit him regularly, and it breaks my heart to see him there but it was his own fault.

Sam was doing well in school.

Her and Finn Sharkey had gotten together, they made such a beautiful couple and it was great when she invited him around for tea or an evening.

But as life gets better, for us there's always something bad that happens.

Sam got ill.

She…she developed a brain Tumour.

There was nothing we could do to help her and now she's…gone.

There isn't a day that goes by when I don't think about her.

My beautiful baby girl.

She just went, fell asleep with me and Tom cuddling her and went.

I keep telling myself that now she is looking over me, she's not in any pain anymore.

Sometimes it helps, other times it doesn't'.

But I haven't gone back to drinking.

Tom supported me and Denz through it, every step of the way he was there.

And Marley had offered to come back from London, but he was doing so well, I couldn't stand in his way, not again.

I left my job at Waterloo Road, and got a new one.

It's not as fun without Candice but it's a job.

And Candice and I are still mates, we still meet up.

Denzil was doing well at school.

Tom was helping him with his work and his dyslexia.

Denz looked up to Tom a lot; it was good to see him with a positive role model in his life.

He had just done his GCSE's when they announced that Waterloo Road was closing.

I couldn't believe that after everything the school had been through they were going to close it.

Michael Byrn, the new head teacher was moving to Scotland, opening a new school there.

I had my doubts, but Denz wanted to go, go with his mates.

And Tom was going so I knew he would be looked after.

So I agreed, he would study for his A Levels in Scotland.

They went on a day towards the end of summer to visit the new school.

Everyone was excited, including Denz. I realised that it was the right thing to do to let him go.

But again, just as things start to look up, for the Kelly's, things go wrong.

I had a phone call that evening from the Scotish police.

The trip had stopped on the boarder of Scotland for a picture.

I had wondered why Denz hadn't text me or rung me, but I thought he was just too excited to worry about me.

But apparently when they had stopped…there….there was an accident…a…a…lorry had crashed into the group of pupils who were stood having their picture taken…

My baby boy, Denzil has gone!

He died in the accident.

I can't go on any further.

There isn't much else to say.

Prince has started school, he's 5 years old now.

But he still isn't sure what's going on.

He doesn't quite understand where Denzil and Sam have gone.

I'll tell him one day. I'll tell him that his brother and sister are looking down on him from heaven and they'll protect him.

But I'll look after him too, he's all I have left.

Him and Marley, my number one boys.

Marley, Prince and Me.


End file.
